Assessment of School Aged Children

     Educational standards and accountability now a days, starts as early as Pre-school. This is most beneficial for an early start in education and development. Being that no two children are the same and each child has their own rate of development, it is important to understand how on going developmental assessments are so effective within their purpose.

     According to PBS, one of the most comprehensive ongoing assessment techniques is the student portfolio. PBS explains that the portfolio is a system for the collection of authentic assessments. Authentic assessment is a term that explains that “students are given opportunities to work in the application of knowledge and skills in the same ways that they are used in the "real" world outside of school. Authentic work samples are products of children's work that reflects real situations and problems addressed in the learning environment, rather than contrived instructional situations (PBS.org).” The authentic assessments can be done by way of monitoring child interaction, conferences with the child, and observation; Which I have become very familiar with during this month. I feel this is a very necessary skill for children to acquire, it allows teachers and parents to be sure that a child can use their educational and emotional and social, cognitive and motor skills inside and outside of the classroom; and appropriately during certain situations.

Being able to assess a child, especially within school age children is critical. It will allow teachers to make decisions based on placement for a child, it will help to determine a child’s progress on developmental and personal achievements, in case of any developmental concerns or delays assessing will help o diagnose learning problems, and assessing also allows teachers to use a different method of reporting to parents; other than just using the traditional report card or progress report.

References:

Grace, C., Dr. (Ed.). (2001, December). Assessing Young Children. Retrieved February, 2013, from PBS Teachers website: http://www.pbs.org/teachers/earlychildhood/articles/assessing.html

　

　

ENGLAND

      When I studied abroad in England, I wondered what their elementary school district was like. So doing this research definitely gave me some helpful info. In England, schools use the CAF or The Common Assessment Framework. Accoring to UK’s Department of Education, CAF is a key part of delivering services that are integrated and focused around the needs of children and young people. It is a standardized approach used by practitioners to assess children's additional needs and decide how these should be met (education.gov.uk).

The CAF is a four step process in which a practitioner can identify a child's needs early. The CAF is designed to be used when a practitioner is worried about how well a child or young person is progressing (e.g. concerns about their health, development, welfare, behavior, progress in learning or any other aspect of their well-being) ,a child or their parent, raises a concern, and/ or if a child's needs are unclear, or more intense than the practitioner's service can address (education.gov.uk).

This process is voluntary, families do not have to engage and if they do, they can choose what information they want to share. Which is interesting to me because in USA we highly encourage and recommend parental participation and engagement when it comes to a child’s educational processes and assessments.

References:

The CAF Process. (2012, April 26). Retrieved February, 2013, from Department of Education website:

http://www.education.gov.uk/childrenandyoungpeople/strategy/integratedworking/caf/a0068957/ the-caf-process